DUBAI // Every fortnight for the past 23 years, Pratibha Venugopal has driven from Sharjah to Dubai to pick up an armload of books from Archie's Lending Library & Bookshop.
Ms Venugopal, an Indian teacher, is a regular face at Archie's, which is tucked away in a lane near Burjuman Shopping Centre in downtown Dubai. Her kinship with the place dates back to when she moved from her home in southern India.
"Archie's is a habit I cannot break," said Ms Venugopal, who works at the Star Private School in Sharjah.
"There were no libraries when I moved to Sharjah."
She is one of many readers who say they have come to depend on a small network of lending libraries and second-hand bookshops, as much for a sense of community as for the books themselves.
Some of these gems are tucked down backstreets. One is even hidden in a car park behind a shopping mall.
Archie's is a firm favourite with bookworms. It was opened in 1987 by Yasmine Chinoy, a former bank employee, who set it up with her personal collection of 1,000 books and her own money. Members can now borrow some 60,000 titles.
Ms Chinoy, 56, knows many regular clients by name - and the authors they like.
Handbills with information on everything from Hindi classes to baby-sitters to bridal stores are pasted near bookshelves, reinforcing the community feel.
Ms Chinoy has even been known to drop off books to new mothers in hospital.
While two weeks is the limit to return books, members who drive in from Sharjah and Abu Dhabi are given an extra week.
"We try not to be rigid because we have a bond with our members," said Ms Chinoy. "We see them so often. They are like family so we modify some rules.
"I thought of the name Archie's because I wanted to attract younger kids" she adds, and indeed students checking out fantasy books also wander over to shelves packed with physics, mathematics and biology books that are sandwiched between the travel and mystery sections.
"Parents tell me they would love to read to their children, but there is little time when they return from work," adds Ms Venugopal.
"They complain about the power of television and games [but] libraries bring the fun back into reading and help develop the habit from a young age."
At the House of Prose in Jumeirah Plaza, the owner, Mike McGinley, knows regular readers and their families by name and says the concept of buying books for less keeps his customers coming back.
All books bought from the store can be returned at any time for a 50 per cent refund of the initial cost in cash.
"I'm optimistic about the future of reading. There are so many children who come in to buy books," said Mr McGinley, an American, as he greets a nine-year-old girl coming in with her Emirati aunt.
A fantasy book and comics are picked out by Hannah Evans, who is visiting from Britain.
"I love books because everything is real. You have a story in your head and you can believe that it is real," she said.
Others like Helen Rodd, 49, from the Netherlands, appreciate the low prices.
"If this store did not exist in Dubai, I don't know where I would go [and] what I'd do," she said.
The small libraries and stores do not draw only English-speakers.
The Old Library, hidden near a car park behind the Mall of the Emirates, is part of Dubai folklore.
It has grown from a box of 50 books sent in 1969 by a Lady Verney to her grandson who was with the British Army.
Initially serving a mostly UK expatriate clientele, the bright and cheery library now attracts Emiratis and families that are not native English speakers. Its net has also spread to include French and German families with children studying in English schools.
"When we took the decision to move to the desert side of Sheikh Zayed Road in 2002 we were afraid nobody would come," said Jenny Orford, the library's chairwoman.
"It was the best thing we decided for the library. The diversity is growing with [Emirati] nationals and others using the library. There is a big push for reading."
@Email:rtalwar@thenational.ae
FA Cup quarter-final draw
The matches will be played across the weekend of 21 and 22 March
Sheffield United v Arsenal
Newcastle v Manchester City
Norwich v Derby/Manchester United
Leicester City v Chelsea
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Read more about the coronavirus
Company%20Profile
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'Munich: The Edge of War'
Director: Christian Schwochow
Starring: George MacKay, Jannis Niewohner, Jeremy Irons
Rating: 3/5
RedCrow Intelligence Company Profile
Started: 2016
Founders: Hussein Nasser Eddin, Laila Akel, Tayeb Akel
Based: Ramallah, Palestine
Sector: Technology, Security
# of staff: 13
Investment: $745,000
Investors: Palestine’s Ibtikar Fund, Abu Dhabi’s Gothams and angel investors
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20Quentin%20Tarantino%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20Uma%20Thurman%2C%20David%20Carradine%20and%20Michael%20Madsen%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%204.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
if you go
The flights
Emirates have direct flights from Dubai to Glasgow from Dh3,115. Alternatively, if you want to see a bit of Edinburgh first, then you can fly there direct with Etihad from Abu Dhabi.
The hotel
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Located in the heart of Mackintosh's Glasgow, the Dakota Deluxe is perhaps the most refined hotel anywhere in the city. Doubles from Dh850
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Events and tours
There are various Mackintosh specific events throughout 2018 – for more details and to see a map of his surviving designs see glasgowmackintosh.com
For walking tours focussing on the Glasgow Style, see the website of the Glasgow School of Art.
More information
For ideas on planning a trip to Scotland, visit www.visitscotland.com
yallacompare profile
Date of launch: 2014
Founder: Jon Richards, founder and chief executive; Samer Chebab, co-founder and chief operating officer, and Jonathan Rawlings, co-founder and chief financial officer
Based: Media City, Dubai
Sector: Financial services
Size: 120 employees
Investors: 2014: $500,000 in a seed round led by Mulverhill Associates; 2015: $3m in Series A funding led by STC Ventures (managed by Iris Capital), Wamda and Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority; 2019: $8m in Series B funding with the same investors as Series A along with Precinct Partners, Saned and Argo Ventures (the VC arm of multinational insurer Argo Group)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
More from Neighbourhood Watch
Cinco in numbers
Dh3.7 million
The estimated cost of Victoria Swarovski’s gem-encrusted Michael Cinco wedding gown
46
The number, in kilograms, that Swarovski’s wedding gown weighed.
1,000
The hours it took to create Cinco’s vermillion petal gown, as seen in his atelier [note, is the one he’s playing with in the corner of a room]
50
How many looks Cinco has created in a new collection to celebrate Ballet Philippines’ 50th birthday
3,000
The hours needed to create the butterfly gown worn by Aishwarya Rai to the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.
1.1 million
The number of followers that Michael Cinco’s Instagram account has garnered.
Brief scores:
Toss: South Africa, chose to field
Pakistan: 177 & 294
South Africa: 431 & 43-1
Man of the Match: Faf du Plessis (South Africa)
Series: South Africa lead three-match series 2-0
ICC Awards for 2021
MEN
Cricketer of the Year – Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Babar Azam (Pakistan)
Test Cricketer of the Year – Joe Root (England)
WOMEN
Cricketer of the Year – Smriti Mandhana (India)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Lizelle Lee (South Africa)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Tammy Beaumont (England)
